Porsche 924

The oil crisis in the mid-70s seriously "hit" on the automotive industry. Porsche solved its problems in its own way. Despite the great success of the 911 model, the company still had to decide on a new design that meets modern technical requirements and the environment as a whole. It was possible to create a budget model (one and a half times cheaper than the base model 911), and not on the basis of the 911, but completely new, from scratch. So in 1976, the Porsche 924 appeared, the first car in the history of the company of practically traditional design. The concept of “trans axl” was developed, in which the engine was located in front, and the gearbox in the same building with the main pair was at the back.

Four-cylinder two-liter power unit with a capacity of 125 liters. with. He gave a car with quite a different dynamics with a completely different body. Even the headlights - and those were hidden in the back for less resistance. At that time, it was a fairly advanced unit. Along with the water cooling so uncharacteristic for Porsche, it contained distributed fuel injection and an upper camshaft driven by a toothed belt.

But the most interesting thing is that the engine was not a Porshev development. It was borrowed from the Audi 100, or rather, from the Volkswagen LT model with a station wagon (the “purists”, enthusiasts of the classic Porsche, were very unhappy with this fact ). Moreover, the Porsche 924 was launched at the former NSU plant in Neckarsulma, which then belonged to Audi , and subsequently withdrew from the VW Group .

Even more interesting non-standard for Porsche engine was the gearbox. The power unit was moved forward, and they didn’t dare to do something similar with it, considering that the close to ideal weight distribution (approximately 52:48) was more priority than the best manufacturability. As a result, the four-step “mechanics” (“automatic” at that time was offered only at extra charge) was interlocked with the gearbox (the drive traditionally remained rear). At the same time, a long 20 mm drive shaft for greater rigidity was enclosed in a pipe connecting both units. Suspension then also thoroughly shook up. A new multi-link scheme with traditional Porsche torsions as elastic elements appeared at the back. But in front of the engineers again moved away from the usual design, using uncharacteristic springs for themselves. Complete the picture of the steering mechanism, devoid of power.

In 1977, in honor of the victory in the World Championship in groups 5 and 6, a special series of cars "Martini Edition" was released, they were painted only in white and had a richer finish.

In 1978, a modification of the 924 Turbo with 170 “horses”, all disc brakes and many other improvements was presented to the audience. By all measures, this model was considered the most economical in the world among sports cars.

On January 1, 1980, a German American, Peter W. Schutz, was elected executive director of the company. The new aggressive policy implied the continuation of the 911 line and the return of Porsche to Le Mans. As a result - the seventh place won on the original Porsche 924 Prototype, equipped with a 4-cylinder turbo engine with balance shafts. Two weeks later, the 2.5-liter Porsche 944 model was announced. She already had a history of sports victories! For its last year of production, the 924 Turbo received a modified suspension and steering system from the 944.

In 1980, the 100,000th 924 was released, thus fulfilling the agreement with the VW-Audi from 1975. Model 944 is put into production, it is also assembled at the plant in the city of Neckarsulm, however, the engines are supplied from Zuffenhausen. After the termination of the release of the modification Turbo, the 924 model received a saloon from 944, a polyurethane rear spoiler and additional noise insulation. Production volumes increased, profits increased. In July 1981, the last 924 was released with a 125-horsepower 2-liter engine, with a total production of 137,500 units.

In 1984, the 924 model received windshield washer nozzles with heaters and the glass itself with varying degrees of tinting. To strengthen its position in the United States, Porsche opens a subsidiary of Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) in the city of Reno with 96% of its capital. The 944 Turbo, not yet announced, won the 24-hour Nelson Legend race at Ohio, with a convincing advantage of 42 laps!

In February 1985, the 944 Turbo model was presented with the same dynamics as the legendary 911. Engine power was 220 liters. with. that only 11 liters. with. less than 911.

Since November 1982, the launch of the 924S version with a 2.5-liter engine capacity of 150 liters. with. (similar with 944). The interior has undergone only minor changes, but the original instruments with yellow VW inscriptions have been preserved. The front and rear suspension 924S used aluminum levers from the new modification 944.

The 924 model itself was continuously improved, many components were borrowed from the 944 Turbo, the instrument panel was made in the 928 style, a new transmission mounting design, an improved engine lubrication system, a larger fuel tank and a quieter starter were used.

The 924th has lived in the Porsche production program for just over 10 years.

Porsche 924 was produced from 1976 to 1988 in the following versions:

924

* including 3,000 Martini machines
† including 1030 "Le Mans" machines
‡ including 1015 cars of the 50 Jahre Porsche / Weissach series.

924 Turbo (931 LHD, 932 RHD)

* amount of cars for USA and Japan
† cars sold only in Italy

924 Carrera GT (937/938)

924S

924 special issues

• The official global website of Dr. Ing. hc F. Porsche AG
• The official website of Dr. Ing. hc F. Porsche AG